Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative

Overview

The Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative’s (ECWSI) purpose is to assist states in developing, enhancing, and implementing policies for an integrated early childhood professional development system for all early childhood education professionals working with and on behalf of young children birth through age 8. Integrated policies intentionally promote the building and support of an efficient cross-sector system that decreases duplication of efforts and increases accountability and sustainability. An integrated system helps develop and retain a competent and stable birth through age 8 early childhood workforce—a skilled cadre of effective, diverse, and adequately compensated professionals.

NAEYC has developed the following set of related resources to support integrated early childhood professional development systems to support the 0-8 early childhood workforce. NAEYC welcomes comments, suggestions and edits on any of these resources.

This Blueprint is NAEYC's framework for policy development and implementation related to state professional development systems for early childhood educators working with children from birth through age 8. The Blueprint highlights four policy principles to be applied across six essential policy areas in order to build or sustain an integrated PD system that ensures quality in all settings in which early childhood professionals work and young children develop and learn.

PD system integration

PD Quality assurance

Workforce diversity, inclusion and access

Compensation parity

These principles look beyond the status quo; they are aimed at the development and retention of a competent and stable early childhood workforce—a skilled cadre of effective, diverse and adequately compensated professionals. They support NAEYC's strategic goal of advancing an early childhood education profession that exemplifies excellence and is recognized as vital and performing a critical role in society.

Professional Development System Indicators

NAEYC is currently working with a national Advisory Panel and cross sector teams in Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia to pilot a set of quality indicators for state early childhood professional development systems. The indicators use the NAEYC Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems as its framework and are organized around four guiding principles for PD system development: 1) system integration; 2) quality assurance; 3) workforce diversity, inclusion and access; and 4) compensation parity. This work will result in a state PD system evaluation and strategic planning instrument that will be published and disseminated nationally in 2016.

Early Childhood Teacher Certification: The Current State Policies Landscape and Opportunities

NAEYC is excited to unveil state profiles (including U.S. territories) for early childhood teacher certification, using survey responses from key state certification administrators and independent NAEYC staff research. These profiles are designed to better examine and continuously track the certifications and endorsements for birth through third-grade teachers.

NAEYC worked with national partners to create consensus to on two glossaries that provide shared language for use across all forms for early childhood professional development: training, technical assistance and adult education. They include definitions of common terms used in the development, implementation and evaluation of professional development (PD) programs; in policy decisions and regulations; and in research and literature reviews. The glossaries are intended to support professional development activities and integrated PD systems.

The database of state policies is organized by the blueprint’s six essential policy areas of professional standards, career pathways, articulation, advisory structure, data and financing. The database also indicates whether or not state policies apply or address the blueprint’s four over-arching policy principles of integration; quality assurance; diversity, inclusion, and access; and compensation parity.

In August 2013, NAEYC was asked by the Professional Development Committee of Louisisna Bright Start to prepare a report of recommendations and resources in support of technical assistance professionals in the Louisiana early childhood professional development system. The purpose of this report is to serve as a foundation for discussion with the Louisiana Early Childhood Advisory Council. View the report here.

This meeting was funded by the Alliance for Early Success, formerly known as the Birth to Five Policy Alliance and sponsored by NAEYC's Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative in partnership with the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and the Early Childhood Data Collaborative.

These 2009-2012 workforce policy seminars were designed for state policy makers, early education advocates and program administrators working to connect professional development activities and initiatives into an integrated system.